All parents want the best possible start in life for their children. Guitar lessons for children are just one way that parents can ensure that the childs natural urge to learn is encouraged.
Once the child has started on the road to learning guitar, the main task is to keep them interested.

This can be acheived by making sure that the learning material is suitable. If the child is enjoying the tunes and songs that they are learning, it is obvious that they will be more likely to carry on and enjoy it.
Most beginner guitar books contain a rehash of the same old tunes, most of which won't hold the interest of todays youngsters.
This is where a good teacher comes in.
The 21st century child is exposed to all kinds of weird and wonderful music via the media and internet. And as a consequence they are making decisions about what they like and dont like at an earlier age.
The teacher needs to be very aware of what is happening in the current music scene, and to try and tailor the lessons with this in mind.
As a childs attention span can be very short, it is a good thing to keep theory to an absolute minimum. Setting acheivable short term goals is also essential.
Very young children respond well to being taught nusrsery rhymes and recognisable melodies. They can learn to play these on one string to start with.
Older children can be shown adapted versions of the tunes that they no from the TV and other media.
Hand and finger size can be a problem for kids learning to play, but 1 finger chords can be taught which will allow them to go quite far in their learning before having to face the full 6 string chords which might be a problem for their small hands.

There is no need to go out and buy a childs guitar.

A G major chord for instance can be played with one finger. The little finger fretting the G note on the top E string at the 3rd fret. If the top four strings are played with this note a G Major chord is formed.
Using the index finger to fret the B string 1st fret, the C note, combined with the open G and open E string, gives a C major chord. Just knowing these two shapes will enable the child to play some recognisable songs.
All in all, learning to play the guitar can be a very worthwhile hobby. It can give a child confidence in many areas of life, even away from the instrument.